text:
How cool it would be if the email becomes similar to snail mail?
Let see how the snail mail works
- You write the letter with a pen and paper
- You write the "To" address
- Post it -> Put it in a Post Box
How Email works
- You have your email client (and there comes the limitation, you can't use your favourite editor)
- Fill in destination email address
- Send it (May be a send button or a keyboard shortcut)
What are the problems
If you want to use a wordprocessor for sending email, it should implement a feature like mail merge, suppose it doesn't have such a feature then? You copy and paste it to your email client and if it doesn't support HTML? Well you have work arounds for all these, but how cool it would be if you have something like this:
- You create a file, use any wordprocessor or text editor.
- Right click and see the properties
- Set the "To" field
- Drag it to the Post Box icon on your panel next to Trash
How can we implement it?
An SMTP translator which uses extended atributes
IRC Logs about the discussion on #hurd
<manuel>j4v4m4n: isn't the HHG a good enough libtrivfs tutorial?
<manuel> the problem I have with mail, blog, ..., translators is that you want to save mails before sending them, so you can't edit directly into the translator
<j4v4m4n> manuel, may be we want a simpler one, all of us are beginners except AB
<manuel> they're not stream-based so unless you save it into memory and wait for "sync" to send mails, it doesn't seem well suited
<manuel> who's AB?
<j4v4m4n> manuel, create any file with your favourite editor and copy it to the directory where SMTP translator is sitting
<j4v4m4n> manuel, Anand Babu
<manuel> sure, but how is that better than sending it via the "mail" command then?
<manuel> except it's less hype, of course.
<j4v4m4n> manuel, http://savannah.gnu.org/users/ab
<j4v4m4n> manuel, it would be cool :-)
<manuel> still not convinced :)
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<j4v4m4n> manuel, set up SMTP translator on the desktop and may be add it next to the Trash :-)
<j4v4m4n> manuel, have a nice postbox icon
<j4v4m4n> manuel, drag your files to it
<j4v4m4n> manuel, it would be closer to the real world and snail mail
<bvk> j4v4m4n: To whom do they go?
<manuel> bvk: the file must be preformatted, probably
<j4v4m4n> bvk, in snail mail you will write to address on top of the envelop, right?
<manuel> j4v4m4n: yeah well, it could make sense in a desktop envronment
<j4v4m4n> bvk, here we can have it as the first line of the file
<manuel> not sure
<bvk> j4v4m4n: i never used snail :(
<j4v4m4n> manuel, that is what I have in mind
* j4v4m4n like snail mail that email
<manuel> bvk: you never sent a mail via snail mail?! :)
* j4v4m4n like snail mail more than email
<bvk> manuel: nope :( whats that btw?
<j4v4m4n> manuel, or why not have it as the file property itself??
<bvk> manuel: you know its first time i hear it *snail mail* :((
<j4v4m4n> bvk, the normal mails which a postman delivers :-)
<j4v4m4n> manuel, you create a file text, open document or whatver format
<manuel> j4v4m4n: I'm quite sure it'd make things more complicated in the end, using file properties, dragging files etc.
<j4v4m4n> manuel, righ click and see properties and set the to field
<bvk> Oh, these english words... :X
<j4v4m4n> manuel, we can use the xtended atributes
<j4v4m4n> manuel, which really showcase the power of hurd
<j4v4m4n> manuel, it becomes closer to the real world
<bvk> actually, is X working on hurd?
<j4v4m4n> bvk, well it used to work and the new Xorg release has som
<j4v4m4n> bvk, well it used to work and the new Xorg release has some broken packages
<j4v4m4n> bvk, if you use an old snapshot repository it will work (xorg 6.9)
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<marco_g> hi
<j4v4m4n> marco_g, hi
* bvk watching MIT lecture video on 'structure and interpretation of computer programs'
<manuel> bvk: yeah, X was ported on GNU/Hurd five-six years ago or so
<j4v4m4n> manuel, see http://hurd.in/bin/view/Main/EmailFS
<j4v4m4n> manuel, add your comments, if you like
<manuel> j4v4m4n: how would you convert the .odt to a mail?
<j4v4m4n> manuel, attachment
<manuel> with an empty mail?
<manuel> that won't get through *most* spam filters :)
<j4v4m4n> manuel, or may be convert it to HTML
<manuel> well converting it to text or HTML would require a set of rules to convert from any format to text/HTML, like a2ps has (some sort of mailcap file)
<j4v4m4n> manuel, it can be flexible, a parameter to the translator as to what should be done with each formats
<manuel> and there's no convenient way to convert ODT to text AFAIK, you need to use ooffice with a batch program, which you need to provide too
<manuel> well that's really complex
<j4v4m4n> manuel, well how will you send me a CD by post?
<j4v4m4n> manuel, or say a bed?
<j4v4m4n> manuel, courier or parcel, right? so attachment is fine
<manuel> sure but you'll add a note saying "this is a bed from Praveen"
<ness> why not add a note to such a mail
<ness> you could even move multiple files simultaneously to the mail translator
<manuel> hm
<manuel> so how is the translator supposed to know that all the files I move are to be sent in a single mail and not on separate mails?
<manuel> and how'll you be able to add a note to such a mail? I mean, of course you can set it on the xattr but that's quite strange (the attachment is supposed to be an attr of the mail, not the other way) and not convenient at all
<manuel> I'm quite sure using a MUA is still easier
<ness> you could move a complete directory to the mail trans
<ness> (and the desktop icon can do this transparently)
<manuel> hmm so you have to create a directory, write a text file on it (with a special filename, I guess, since you could also have text files as attachments) and add the attachments to the directory
<manuel> and then drag & drop it
* manuel thinks things are getting more and more complicated :)
<ness> the special file name or attribute thing is right
<ness> but you not necisirily need to create a dir
<ness> s/necisirily/necessarily/
<ness> you just drag 'n' drop multiple files to the icon
<manuel> and how is the translator supposed to know they are dragged at the same time and not one after the other?
<ness> I do not know if it is viable
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<manuel> AFACS, dragging multiple files just make the desktop issue multiple rename()
<moritz> manuel: however the desktop handles that - it would be a rather easy thing to fix, i guess.
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<manuel> moritz: how is the desktop supposed to handle that?
<moritz> if this mail translator approach, is primarily to be used in desktop environments, one could implement the whole thing on the desktop environment layer, not with Hurd translators.
<moritz> manuel: i think it would be rather easy for the desktop to distinguish between actions like "ONE file is dragged" and "MULTIPLE files are dragged".
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<manuel> oh yeah, but then you loose the transparency, and there's no point in making it a translator. I think we agree on that :)
<moritz> i see rather little point in making it a translator anyway, since only god knows wether we have similar concept to translators in hurd-ng.
<manuel> yeah sure, but praveen wasn't planning it for HurdNG AIUI
<moritz> in that case it would probably be toy project. fine.
<moritz> i need to do some maths. see you.
<manuel> hmm well, you can't write anything else than toy projects, then
<ness> moritz: you shouldn't be too sure about success of ngHurg
<ness> it is an experiment
<antrik> sdschulze: ping
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<j4v4m4n> manuel, This is a lot of input, let me sink these all first :-)
<bddebian> Heya folks
<schlesix> heya bddebian!
<j4v4m4n> it is ofcoures a "nice to have" feature.
<j4v4m4n> These are quite intersting inputs as well
<bddebian> Hi schlesix
<j4v4m4n> manual in the real wprld how will you send multiple things, say you want to send a CD and a bed
<j4v4m4n> manuel, you will package it (files) and then one parcel containing all these things (folder)
<manuel> j4v4m4n: well you want to make sending emails easier than sending real mails :-)
<j4v4m4n> manuel, it won't substitute MUAs
<j4v4m4n> manuel, we need it as the backend
<diocles> geekoe: You asked about GFS yesterday; well, glibc compiled. :) I've not done much more after that.
<antrik> regarding mail translator: take a look at Plan9, they have been doing it for years
<j4v4m4n> manuel, sorry not MUA I meant MTA
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<manuel> ah yes sure, but MUA will still be easier to use afaics
<j4v4m4n> manuel, people who are used to Windows say GNU/Linux is tough to use
<j4v4m4n> manuel, but when they start with GNOME or KDE they don't have any issues
<j4v4m4n> antrik, that is a great info I will look into it
<j4v4m4n> manuel, sorry not MUA I meant MTA
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<manuel> ah yes sure, but MUA will still be easier to use afaics
<j4v4m4n> manuel, people who are used to Windows say GNU/Linux is tough to use
<j4v4m4n> manuel, but when they start with GNOME or KDE they don't have any issues
<j4v4m4n> antrik, that is a great info I will look into it
<ness> j4v4m4n: they do it quite differently
<manuel> this doesn't answer to the basic question: how is it better than what we have now
<j4v4m4n> manuel, it is different, better is always debatable
<j4v4m4n> manuel, GNOME might work for but some doesn't use X at all
<j4v4m4n> manuel, whether it is good will be depending on the implemetation
<Jeroen> people who used to GNU/Linux say Windows is tough to use
<Jeroen> +are
<unlink> GNU/Linux is at least tougher to say
<Jeroen> no, people have less experience with GNU/Linux
<manuel> "to say", Jeroen
<j4v4m4n> manuel, better and easier are always relative
<j4v4m4n> manuel, there a lot of people still using mutt when you have thunderbird
<manuel> well because they have reasons to say mutt is easier than thunderbird
<Jeroen> the only thing is that you've to learn a few shortcuts when you want to use mutt, you can't just click around
<j4v4m4n> manuel, exactly
<j4v4m4n> manuel, consider this, you want to send a document across to someone
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<j4v4m4n> manuel, now you open a MUA add the attachment send it
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<j4v4m4n> manuel, if you just have to drag it to an icon, would that be easier?
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<j4v4m4n> manuel, chmod +to:manuel@somehost doc.pdf ; cp doc.pdf postbox/
<Jeroen> yeah
<Jeroen> chmod is for setting permissions...
<j4v4m4n> manuel, I am not sure how to set xattr
<manuel> well, setfattr
<Jeroen> well
<j4v4m4n> manuel, ok
<Jeroen> how do you type your subject?
<Jeroen> and there message itself?
<Jeroen> s/there/the/
<Jeroen> how do you encrypt+sign it with pgp?
<manuel> j4v4m4n: well the problem is still the same you know. OK for to/subject : they'd be extended attributes. but how do you type the message itself?
<antrik> I don't think using xattr for such stuff is a good idea
<antrik> after all, it's not a property of the document
<j4v4m4n> antrik, we can use it only on a particular directory on which our translator sit
<j4v4m4n> manuel, create a folder
<manuel> that'd mean mkdir message; ln -s doc.pdf message/; cat >message/message <<EOF; setfattr -n to -v email@example.com; setfattr -n subject -v document; mv message postbox
<antrik> the reason why having translators for such stuff is that this way you have a generic service for sending mail, whether you use it through a special UI (MUA), directly with file commands, from a script, or from some other program that just sends mails as a side functionality
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<j4v4m4n> manuel, that looks scary :-(
<manuel> not sure it's easier than "mutt; m; firstname.lastname@example.com; document; >typing the message<; a; doc.pdf; y"
<antrik> manuel: it is easier in some situations
<antrik> (and again, I would not use xattr for such stuff)
<j4v4m4n> manuel, now how do you use mutt on GNOME?
<antrik> in fact, Plan9 explicitely does *not* have any xattr and stuff
<manuel> antrik: well xattr on the directory that represents the message is not illogical
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<j4v4m4n> antrik, may be we can think of some other way if you don't wanna xattr
<manuel> j4v4m4n: well I just used the CLI because it's easier to describe, but try to explain the steps in a GUI and you'll see it's the same problem
<j4v4m4n> manuel, right click on desktop -> create folder -> drag the files to the folder -> set attributes to the folder-> drag it to postbox
<j4v4m4n> manuel, it is quite logical step
<manuel> sure, but how is it easier than click on the MUA icon -> create mail -> drag the files to the mail window ; type the attrbutes + contents ; click on send mail
<manuel> looks quite similar to me :-)
<j4v4m4n> manuel, or if you already have the folder just drag it
<kilobug> a POP or IMAP translator would be more useful IMHO (but well, I didn't read all the backlog, so I may be off topic)
<j4v4m4n> manuel, you don't have a MUA here :-) just files and folders
<kilobug> to read mails, I mean
<j4v4m4n> kilobug, that is even easier IMAP->mabox and then mboxfs
<manuel> j4v4m4n: well you have a MUA : that's the translator
<j4v4m4n> kilobug, mboxfs is already available
<j4v4m4n> kilobug, I think someone already wrote IMAP to mbox as well but couldn't find it
<kilobug> j4v4m4n: well, imapfs could work both way, writing changes on the imap server too ;)
<antrik> manuel: the difference is not how it is used; the difference is how it is implemented
<antrik> manuel: if you have a generic mail translator, you have most functionality already there with the file manager; all you need to add is some scripts for better comfort
<antrik> j4v4m4n: the way I would do it (and I guess Plan9 does, though I haven't checked) is either having a file in the mail directory with the headers, or a subdirectory with a single file for each header (probably the latter)
<j4v4m4n> antrik, that would make it too complicated IMHO, it would be close to how it is for snail mail
<antrik> j4v4m4n: I don't see how this would be more complicated than xattr
<j4v4m4n> manuel, you can write your own scripts to automate it for whatver way you want
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<manuel> antrik: having the functionality in the filesystem is useful because programs can use this functionality without patching; the protocol to use the mail translator is so specific that you either need to be a real user (but then a MUA is a lot more useful) or have a patched program (but then you could use a lib)
<j4v4m4n> antrik, right clicking a file and setting u p to and subject seems easier that creating more files
<antrik> j4v4m4n: I don't think so. maybe it is in gnome, but than I'd consider it a shortcoming of gnome
<antrik> j4v4m4n: in shell "cat firstname.lastname@example.com headers/to" is about as simple as you can get
<manuel> >
<antrik> erm... I mean echo
<antrik> and >, yes
<antrik> sorry
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<manuel> "echo email@example.com > headers/to" is not easier than "setfattr -n to -v email@example.com" AFAICS.
<antrik> echo email@example.com >headers/to
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<kilobug> manuel: it is a tiny bit if your "firstname.lastname@example.com" is the output of a command, mycomplexcommand > headers/to is a bit easier than setfattr -n to -v `mycomplexcommand`
<kilobug> manuel: but it's the same for a value you type directly
<antrik> manuel: objectively it is not simpler, but it uses a generic mechanism users now well, instead of obscure xattr stuff
<antrik> know well
<j4v4m4n> antrik, ok we can think of that, but how about a desktop user?
abeaumont andar antrik arnau azeem azor
<j4v4m4n> antrik, he has to use more clicks and more head aches
<j4v4m4n> antrik, just right click and add to address and subject just you write on the envelop
<kilobug> j4v4m4n: that's good ! it makes him buy more medicine, drug corporations will sponsor you then !
* kilobug runs away
* j4v4m4n chases kilobug
<j4v4m4n> kilobug, better way would be making outlook run on GNU :-)
<marco_g> Or GNU on outlook \o/
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<kilobug> this channel is becoming insnae :p
<j4v4m4n> kilobug, or is it the members ?? :-)
<marco_g> I agree with kilobug, we should stop those weirdos here :-/
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<antrik> hm... anyone have the marcus quote at hand?
<j4v4m4n> i got to go as well
<j4v4m4n> bye
<kilobug> bye j4v4m4n
Join the project -- Add yourself to the list below
- ?Praveen A


text:
President Donald Trump's budget proposal calls for saving $10 million next year by selling wild horses captured throughout the West without the current requirement that buyers guarantee the animals won't be resold for slaughter.
Wild horse advocates say the change would gut nearly a half-century of protection for wild horses -- an icon of the American West -- and could send thousands of free-roaming mustangs to foreign slaughterhouses for processing as food.
They say the Trump administration is kowtowing to livestock interests who don't want the region's estimated 59,000 mustangs competing for precious forage across more than 40,000 square miles (103,600 square kilometers) of rangeland in 10 states managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
The budget proposal marks the latest skirmish in the decades-old controversy pitting ranchers and rural communities against groups that want to protect the horses from Colorado to California.
"This is simply a way to placate a very well-funded and vocal livestock lobby," Laura Leigh, president of the nonprofit protection group Wild Horse Education, said about the budget proposal.
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association and other interests have been urging BLM for years to allow sales of wild horses for slaughter to free up room in overcrowded government corrals for the capture of more animals.
Doug Busselman, executive vice president of the Nevada Farm Bureau, blamed the stalemate on the "emotional and anti-management interests who have built their business models on preventing rational and responsible actions while enhancing their fundraising through misinformation."
Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama also grappled with the spiraling costs of managing the nearly 60,000 horses on the range and another 45,000 currently kept in U.S. holding pens and contracted private pastures.
Over the past eight years, BLM's wild horse budget has more than doubled -- from $36.2 million in 2008 to $80.4 million in 2017.
Trump's budget anticipates the $10 million savings would come through a reduction in the cost of containing and feeding the animals. The savings also would include cutbacks involving roundups and contraception programs.
The 1971 Free-Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act permits the sale of older, unadoptable animals. But for years, Congress has approved budget language specifically outlawing the sale of any wild horses for slaughter.
Horse slaughterhouses are prohibited in the U.S. but legal in many other countries, including Canada, Mexico and parts of Europe where horse meat is considered a delicacy.
Then-BLM Director Neil Kornze said a year ago that the horses represented a $1 billion budget problem for his agency because it costs $50 million to round up and house every 10,000 horses over their lifetime.
Still, he said the agency had no intention of reversing the long-standing policy.
However, the Trump administration wants a change, saying through the BLM that the "current program is unsustainable and a new approach is needed, particularly when overall federal funding is so constrained."
It says the budget would allow the agency to manage the wild horse program in a more cost-effective manner, "including the ability to conduct sales without limitation."
BLM rounded up more than 7,000 horses in 2012, but only about 3,000 in each of the past two years due primarily to budget constraints.
As of March, BLM estimated that more than half of the horses roaming the range were in Nevada (34,780). An additional 13,191 burros were on the range-- about half in Arizona.
The BLM asserts that U.S. rangeland can sustain fewer than 27,000 horses and burros.
"The original intent of the act was to make sure those animals had a healthy presence on the range, but also that they be kept at a number that is sustainable," said Ethan Lane, executive director of the National Cattlemen's public lands council. "You have horses starving to death ... and irreversible damage to western rangelands."
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said Trump's budget proposal was shocking.
"Wild horses can and should be humanely managed on-range using simple fertility control, yet the BLM would rather make these innocent animals pay for draconian budget cuts with their very lives," ASPCA President Matt Bershadker said.
Suzanne Roy, executive director of the American Wild Horse Campaign, said the plan could put the horses on the brink of extinction.
"America can't be great if these national symbols of freedom are destroyed," she said.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
A routine rate is charged for RPS job requests. The current routine rate for RPS Officers is $90/hour with a three hour minimum. A holiday rate for RPS Officers is $180/hr with a three hour minimum. For special events, we require one officer per one thousand of expected attendance. If alcohol is served, there will be required two officers per one thousand of expected attendance. Under certain unique circumstances of a special event, city staff will evaluate the event and the number of officers may be adjusted with specific justification and deviation to the event organizer (see Special Event Ordinance 70-42). Administrative fees will be charged to an event organizer on the following schedule:
This fee is for staff time to organize and coordinate the logistics, meetings and any other preparation for the event.
Show All Answers
In cases where refunds are due, a credit or refund will be processed as requested by the applicant.
The holiday rate will apply to all jobs that begin on the following holidays:
NOTE: The contract application will reflect the minimum hours charged. The above rate schedule is subject to change. The applicant will be notified of such changes as soon as possible before the increase.
Marked police vehicles may be used if they are requested by the applicant and are reasonably required to adequately complete the job the officer(s) are hired to perform. The use of marked police vehicles will be authorized by the Administrative Services Captain on a case by case basis. There will be NO additional fee for the use of a marked police vehicle when approved.
The Police Department reserves the right to deny use of marked squad.
These general staffing requirements are for security purposes and do not count the number of officers that are needed for traffic control and/or direction. Generally, the guideline is one officer per 1,000 patrons and two officers per 1,000 patrons at events serving alcohol.
When hiring six or more officers for an event at the same time (including traffic control), a supervisor may be required. If 10 or more officers are hired for an event at the same time, an incident commander, as well as on on-site supervisor, may be required.
If the Administrative Services Captain determines that the size of the event warrants, the applicant will work with the Administrative Services Captain to determine the number of officers needed for the assignment. The Administrative Services Captain may determine if more or less supervision is needed for the event.
In cases where the applicant underestimated the attendance, the on-duty Patrol Supervisors may at their discretion notify the applicant that additional officers are needed. Whether or not the applicant is notified, the City reserves the right to assign additional officers and the applicant shall be responsible for the cost of the additional officers.
Cancellations by Applicant
NOTE: It is the responsibility of the Applicant to notify the Administrative Services Captain if the business or organization will be closed for a holiday or for any other purpose when extra duty officers are normally scheduled. If the applicant fails to notify the Administrative Services Captain that officers are not needed that day, the normal minimum charges for the assignment will apply.
Cancellations by the Blaine Police Department
The City of Blaine is self-insured for general liability and statutory worker's compensation coverage. Police officers assigned to extra duty work are afforded this coverage, and are considered to be City of Blaine employees acting in the course and scope of their official duties while performing this work.
If an officer was scheduled to work and did not report, the applicant should notify the Administrative Services Captain at 763-785-6168 or the On-Duty Patrol Supervisors at 763-427-1212 immediately. The city makes no guarantee nor does it agree that it will endeavor to find a replacement.
If the Chief of Police or his designee determines that it is in the best interest of the department to discontinue extra duty services, the applicant will be notified as soon as possible.
The Administrative Services Captain will try to accommodate schedule change requests if made 24 hours prior to the starting time of the event, the city does not guarantee that such request can be accommodated.
The minimum number of paid hours for each officer is three.
The officers are at all times subject to the policies of the City of Blaine, the laws and Constitution of the United States and the state of Minnesota, and the rules and regulations governing employees of the Blaine Police Department (BPD). An applicant has no authority over police personnel and is restricted to providing only a general assignment of duties to be performed by the officer. Those assignments never supersede BPD policy or procedures and the applicant is hereby so advised. Extra duty officers remain under the exclusive control of the city and are accountable for strict adherence to its rules and regulations. Any conflicting rules of the applicant will be disregarded. The officer shall refuse to perform any duties deemed to be in conflict with the guidelines established by BPD. As determined by the Police Department, officers may be recalled from extra duty to on duty status.
This application is for law enforcement work only and does not exempt applicants from obtaining other necessary permits for events.
The City of Blaine Police Department is NOT obligated to provide extra duty services. The city reserves its right to deny an application for extra-duty officers.
BPD officers are not permitted to receive cash from applicant for any reason whatsoever.


text:
SHANGHAI (REUTERS) - Temperatures in China have plunged to their lowest in almost three decades, cold enough to freeze coastal waters and trap 1,000 ships in ice, official media said at the weekend.
Since late November the country has shivered at an average of minus 3.8 degrees Celsius, 1.3 degrees colder than the previous average, and the chilliest in 28 years, state news agency Xinhua said on Saturday, citing the China Meteorological Administration.
Bitter cold has even frozen the sea in Laizhou Bay on the coast of Shandong province in the east, stranding nearly 1,000 ships, the China Daily newspaper reported.
Mr Zheng Dong, chief meteorologist at the Yantai Marine Environment Monitoring Centre under the State Oceanic Administration, told the paper that the area under ice in Laizhou Bay was 291 square km this week.
Transport around the country has been severely disrupted.
Over 140 flights from the state capital airport in central Hunan province were delayed, while heavy snowfall forced the closure of some sections of the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau Expressway, the China Daily said.
Temperatures in the northeast fell even further, reaching a 43-year low of minus 15.3 degrees Celsius, about 3.7 degrees below the previous recorded average.
One truck driver in southeastern Jiangxi province, caught in a 5 km queue caused by a pileup that happened after heavy snowfall, told China Daily the snow and extreme cold had caught him unawares.
"I didn't expect such a situation, so I've brought no warm coats or food. All I can do now is wait," trucker Yao Xuefeng told the paper.


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Baska Szostak - Artist Raffle
This one-of-a-kind custom hand-painted WIRTH Hat is available as a raffle prize. $5 for one entry and $20 for five entries. All Proceeds go to the WIRTH Counselling Fund to support counselling for those in need.
This raffle is now closed
About The Artist
What is the WIRTH Artist Collaboration Series?
The WIRTH Artist Collaboration Series is a project aimed towards connecting with local and international artists who share WIRTH'S interest in the mental health space. Each month will feature a different artist who will be tasked with putting their artistic touch on one of our blank cream hats in the style of their choice. The artist will have roughly two weeks to complete the hat, at which point, the custom WIRTH Hat will be raffled off with all proceeds going towards the WIRTH Hats counselling fund.
WIRTH is a hat company committed to doing something about mental health. Proceeds from your purchase go towards supporting mental health initiatives and the WIRTH Foundation's Counselling Fund. Our hats are made in Vancouver, Canada with high-quality fabric and a lot of love. WIRTH Hats is a symbol of conversation around vulnerability and openness. We are committed to ending the stigma surrounding counselling and therapy.


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Fast track to vascular disease
In Western societies, atherosclerosis of the arteries is one of the leading causes of death. Chronic, localized inflammation of the blood vessel wall facilitates the growth of fibrous plaques, which leads to narrowing or occlusion of the vessel, and thereby promotes heart attacks and stroke. The persistence of the inflammatory reaction is due to a loss of control over the activity of the immune system. So-called dendritic cells are known to play a central role in the adaptive immune response, functioning as activators of other classes of immune cells. Their precise contribution to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis has, however, been unclear. An international team of researchers led by Professor Christian Weber of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich and Privatdozentin Alma Zernecke of Würzburg University has now demonstrated that dendritic cells release the chemokine CCL17 as a signal molecule, which inhibits a feedback mechanism that normally limits the activity of the immune system. This explains why the normally transient inflammatory response is not turned off and becomes chronic. The new study has also identified a potential antidote to the signal molecule. As Professor Weber reports, "We were able to prevent the progression of atherosclerosis using an antibody raised against CCL17." In other words, CCL17 offers a promising starting point for the development of new therapeutic strategies. (Journal of Clinical Investigation, 1 June 2011)
Atherosclerosis can become manifest in various ways. In particular, plaques may suddenly rupture, promoting the formation of a clot that occludes the vessel. If this afflicts the vessels of the heart or brain the result is a heart attack or a stroke. The narrowing of vessels caused by plaque growth can also lead to reduction of the blood supply to the lower limbs and to so-called vascular dementia. Atherosclerosis is initiated by lipid accumulation that occurs directly beneath the inner lining of the blood vessel, and can induce and chronically perpetuate an inflammatory response. Cells of the immune system migrate to the site of the primary lesion and release signaling molecules that attract other types of immune cells which facilitate plaque formation. The atherosclerotic plaques in turn serve as sources of additional signals and mediators, the inflammation reaction gets out of control and continues unchecked, and plaque growth progressively obstructs the flow of blood.
So-called dendritic cells are responsible for determining the targets against which the immune response is directed. They do so by using fragments of target-specific proteins displayed in a molecular complex on their surfaces to activate immune cells called T cells. The T cells have highly variable receptors that enable them to recognize such complexes and to identify the intact target. "Dendritic cells are detectable in arteries and in atherosclerotic tissue, but their precise function in the pathogenesis of plaques has been unclear," explains Weber. "We were particularly interested in learning more about the role of the chemokine CCL17 - a signal protein that is specifically synthesized by mature dendritic cells - in the activation of T cells and in regulating T cell homeostasis."
For their experiments the researchers made use of a transgenic mouse strain in which the gene for CCL17 had been replaced by a DNA sequence encoding the genetic information for the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP). Thus, in this strain, GFP acts as a proxy for CCL17-producing cells. Since GFP can be visualized by virtue of its fluorescence, the team was able to determine where CCL17-producing cells would normally congregate. This approach also allowed them not only to work out the effects of the lack of CCL17, but also to use advanced methods of microscopy, in particular multiphoton microscopy, to follow how the dendritic cells intrude and accumulate in atherosclerotic plaques and interact with T cells.
In further experiments, the researchers destroyed the T cells of normal mice and replaced them with T cells from the CCL17-deficient mice. Conversely, regulatory T cells were specifically removed from CCL17-deficient mice. "The results of these investigations led us to conclude that CCL17 drives atherosclerosis by inhibiting an important regulatory circuit that acts to restrain the immune response," says Weber. Under normal circumstances, immune reactions are attenuated by regulatory T cells (Tregs) that inhibit other types of immune cells and so ensure that the whole system returns to a balanced state. The new study shows that, in the presence of CCL17, fewer Tregs in the inflamed tissue are activated. In effect, CCL17 disables the Treg-dependent braking mechanism.
"This finding makes CCL17 a promising target for new therapeutic approaches," says Weber, who is anxious to ensure that the results of basic research are transferred as quickly as possible into the clinical setting and find practical medical application. In this case, the first step has already been taken. Using an antibody against CCL17, the authors of the new study were able to block the action of the signal and prevent the progression of atherosclerosis. CCL17 therefore offers a possible handle for new approaches to treatment of the condition. In the next step, Weber and his colleagues hope to clarify the function of the CCL17 receptors on the plasma membrane of the regulatory T cells. (göd)


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Message Board
Mark Hayes Message Board
Talk about the novels, new and used books that Hayes has written!
Author Hayes's Book Reviews
Beethoven Was Black & Browne Is White
Multiculturalism. Affirmative Action. Racial quotas. Political Correctness. America in the 1990's. If you're a straight, white man in the U.S. today, you're the target of all the self-proclaimed victims' group. The Pentagon issues a personnel memo outlining promotion criteria. No white males will be promoted above GS-15, unless they are handicapped. Only women, blacks, Asians, gays, and the disabled need apply for promotion. White guys can for...


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February 28, 1945 -
Linda Rothschild was born in 1945 in Philadelphia, PA. She received her undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania in 1966 and her Ph.D. in mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1970 (she had been rejected for graduate work at Princeton on the grounds that the university accepted only men). Her Ph.D. thesis was "On the Adjoint Action of a Real Semisimple Lie Group." She held positions at Tufts University, Columbia University, the Institute for Advanced Study, and Princeton University before being appointed an associate professor of mathematics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1976. She was promoted to full professor in 1979. Rothschild moved to the University of California at San Diego in 1982 as professor of mathematics where she remained until her retirement in 2011. San Diego.
Rothschild has worked in the areas of Lie groups, partial differential equations and harmonic analysis, and the analytic and geometric aspects of several complex variables. She has published over 80 papers in these areas. In 2003 she won the Stefan Bergman Prize from the American Mathematical Society (the prize was awarded jointly with her husband, Salah Baouendi.) The citation read in part:
The Bergman Prize was awarded to Professors Salah Baouendi and Linda Rothschild for their joint and individual work in complex analysis. In addition to many important contributions to complex analysis they have also done first rate work in the theory of partial differential equations. Their recent work is centered on the study of CR manifolds to which they and their collaborators have made fundamental contributions....Rothschild, in a joint paper with E. Stein, introduced Lie group methods to prove Lp and Hölder estimates for the sum of squares operators as well as the boundary Kohn Laplacian for real hypersurfaces. In later joint work with L. Corwin and B. Helfer, she proved analytic hypoellipticity for a class of first order systems. She also proved the existence of a family of weakly pseudoconvex hypersurfaces for which the boundary Kohn Laplacian is hypoelliptic but does not satisfy maximal L2 estimates.
The work of Baouendi and Rothschild has had and continues to have tremendous impact on the theory of several complex variables.
Rothschild served as President of the Association for Women in Mathematics from 1983 to 1985 and as Vice-President of the American Mathematical Society from 1985 to 1987. She presented the 1997 Emmy Noether Lecture for the AWM. In 2005 Rothschild was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2006 she was an invited speaker at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Madrid.
The conference Complex Analysis 2008 was held July 7-11, 2008 at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, in honor of Linda Rothschild for her influential contributions to the subject of several complex variables and connections to partial differential equations and geometry. A particular aim of the conference was to encourage female students to pursue an academic career in mathematics, a goal Rothschild has helped to foster by establishing a scholarship for unusually talented junior high school girls to accelerate their mathematical training by participating in a summer program. For an extended curriculum vitae and complete list of Rothschild's publications, see the conference proceedings published by Birkhauser/Springer in 2010.
Read her profile from the Emmy Noether Lecture.
Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of Linda Rothschild


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The stalk of the intensely flavored rhubarb plant has been used in European cooking since the 17th century. Prior to that, rhubarb species were utilized medicinally in Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine. Traditional uses include treatment of constipation, diarrhea, fever, menstrual problems, jaundice, sores (when applied topically), ulcers, and burns.
Although there are many species of rhubarb, the one most studied is Rheum rhaponticum.
Rhubarb root contains lindleyin, a substance with estrogen-like properties.1 On this basis, extracts of rhubarb have been tried for control of menopausal symptoms. In a 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 109 women with menopause-related problems, use of a standardized Rheum rhaponticum. extract significantly improved symptoms as compared to placebo.2 Improvements were particularly seen in rate and severity of hot flashes. While this is meaningful supporting evidence, additional independent trials will be necessary to establish this rhubarb extract as a safe and effective treatment for menopause.
Other potential uses of rhubarb lack reliable supporting evidence.
One human trial purportedly found evidence that rhubarb could reduce the impairment of lung function that may occur when people with lung cancer receive radiation therapy.16 However, this study suffered from a number of significant flaws, and its results cannot be regarded as reliable.
In another human trial, this one using a cream containing sage and rhubarb, researchers failed to find more than modest benefits at most for the treatment of herpes.3
Additional proposed uses of rhubarb are supported only by test tube studies. For example, various rhubarb species have shown hints of potential value for treatment of diabetes,4 kidney disease,5liver disease6,7, allergies8 and pancreatitis.9. The vast majority of effects seen in test tube studies do not pan out when human trials are conducted.
However, a review of 19 randomized trials did compare rhubarb and somatostatin to somatostatin alone in 1,161 patients with acute pancreatitis. The addition of rhubarb (given by gastric tube or retention enema) was associated with a reduced risk of complications, and shorter duration of abdominal pain, hospitalization, and time to first bowel movement. Rhubarb dosage ranged from 10-90 grams a day. Although the results were promising, all trials had biases that can affect the outcomes.17
A typical dosage of rhubarb root is ½ to l teaspoonful of the root boiled for 10 minutes in a cup of water, three times daily.
In the menopause study mentioned above, a standardized extract was used. Such extracts should be used according to label instructions.
As a widely consumed food, rhubarb is thought to be relatively safe if consumed in moderation. However, the plant contains high levels of oxalic acid, and rhubarb consumption can markedly increase oxalic acid levels in the urine.10-13 This could lead to increased risk of kidney stones, as well as other problems. Rhubarb leaf contains the highest oxalic acid content. The roots and stems contain less oxalic acid, but higher levels of anthraquinones, laxative substances similar to those found in senna or cascara. It is safest to use rhubarb standardized extracts processed to removed oxalic acid.
Contrary to some reports, consumption of rhubarb probably does not impair calcium absorption.14
Very weak evidence hints that excessive consumption of rhubarb could increase risk of stomach and/or colon cancer.15
Maximum safe doses in pregnant or nursing women, young children, or people with severe liver or kidney disease have not been established.
Usui T, Ikeda Y, Tagami T, et al. The phytochemical lindleyin, isolated from Rhei rhizoma, mediates hormonal effects through estrogen receptors. J Endocrinol. 2002;175:289-96.
Heger M, Ventskovskiy BM, Borzenko I, et al. Efficacy and safety of a special extract of Rheum rhaponticum (ERr 731) in perimenopausal women with climacteric complaints: a 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Menopause. 2006 Aug 4 [Epub ahead of print]
Saller R, Buechi S, Meyrat R, et al. Combined herbal preparation for topical treatment of Herpes labialis. Forsch Komplementarmed Klass Naturheilkd. 2002;8:373-382.
Choi SZ, Lee SO, Jang KU, et al. Antidiabetic stilbene and anthraquinone derivatives from Rheum undulatum. Arch Pharm Res. 2005;28:1027-1030.
Li X, Wang H. Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of chronic kidney disease. Adv Chronic Kidney Dis. 2005;12:276-281.
Fan JG. Evaluating the efficacy and safety of Danning Pian in the short-term treatment of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a multicenter clinical trial. Hepatobiliary Pancreat Dis Int. 2004;3:375-380.
Jin H, Sakaida I, Tsuchiya M, et al. Herbal medicine Rhei rhizome prevents liver fibrosis in rat liver cirrhosis induced by a choline-deficient L-amino acid-defined diet. Life Sci. 2005;76:2805-2816.
Matsuda H, Tewtrakul S, Morikawa T, et al. Anti-allergic activity of stilbenes from Korean rhubarb (Rheum undulatum L.): structure requirements for inhibition of antigen-induced degranulation and their effects on the release of TNF-alpha and IL-4. Bioorg Med Chem. 2004;12:4871-4876.
Zhao YQ, Liu XH, Ito T, et al. Protective effects of rhubarb on experimental severe acute pancreatitis. World J Gastroenterol. 2004;10:1005-1009.
Finch AM, Kasidas GP, Rose GA. Urine composition in normal subjects after oral ingestion of oxalate-rich foods. Clin Sci (Lond). 1981;60:411-418.
Vahlensieck EW, Bach D, Hesse A, et al. Epidemiology, Pathogenesis and diagnosis of calcium oxalate urolithiasis. Int Urol Nephrol. 1983;14:333-47.
Massey LK, Roman-Smith H, Sutton RA. Effect of dietary oxalate and calcium on urinary oxalate and risk of formation of calcium oxalate kidney stones. J Am Diet Assoc. 1993;93:901-906.
Hesse A, Siener R, Heynck H, et al. The influence of dietary factors on the risk of urinary stone formation. Scanning Microsc. 1994;7:1119-27; discussion 1127-1128.
Goel V, Ooraikul B, Basu TK. Effect of dietary rhubarb stalk fiber on the bioavailability of calcium in rats. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 1997;47:159-163.
Mantani N, Sekiya N, Sakai S, et al. Rhubarb use in patients treated with Kampo medicines--a risk for gastric cancer? Yakugaku Zasshi. 2002;122:403-405.
Yu HM, Liu YF, Cheng YF, et al. Effects of rhubarb extract on radiation induced lung toxicity via decreasing transforming growth factor-beta-1 and interleukin-6 in lung cancer patients treated with radiotherapy. Lung Cancer. 2008;59(2):219-226.
Zhou Y, Wang L, Huang X, Li H, Xiong Y. Add-on effect of crude rhubarb to somatostatin for acute pancreatitis: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Ethnopharmacol. 201624;194:495-505.
Last reviewed December 2015 by EBSCO CAM Review Board
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.


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Turns out Padres closer Heath Bell has some opinions on Padres management. From the Boston Herald (via MLBTR):
Personable Padres closer Heath Bell was in Boston recently for a Reebok event and he laid out his hopes for new general manager Jed Hoyer, formerly an assistant with the Red Sox."I just would like to know what direction we're going in," he said. "I think (Hoyer) and (owner Jeff) Moorad are going to sit down and have meetings about what direction they want to go in and how much money they'll spend. I hope (Hoyer) has got full rein. I hope he does. I know (former GM) Kevin Towers didn't always have it. He'd want to do something and the CEO wouldn't always sign off on it.
"I'd like to see the team say, 'Here's your allowance, $40 million, $50 million, $80 million, spend it on what you want.' Kevin Towers, the last couple of years, it didn't seem like he could always do what he wanted. He was kind of a puppet."
(Emphasis mine.) It's admirable that Bell is paying attention to his bosses, but where is he getting his information? Does he have an inside source, or is he going off of publicly available information? How does Padres management feel about their closer calling their former GM a puppet? Will Hoyer get his allowance? Dodger fans can only hope the McCourts' divorce debacle won't get as messy as John Moores', but at least Jonathan Broxton will have the good sense to keep his mouth shut.


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How will global warming affect life on Earth? Uncertainties about future climate change and the impact of human activity make it difficult to predict exactly what lies ahead. But the past offers clues, say scientists who are studying a period of warming that occurred about 55 million years ago.
In a joint project of the University of Michigan, the University of New Hampshire and the Smithsonian Institution, researchers have been analyzing fossils from the badlands of Wyoming found in a distinctive layer of bright red sedimentary rock that was deposited at the boundary between the Paleocene and Eocene epochs—a time of apparent sudden climate change. The researchers described their findings in a paper presented Feb. 16 at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
"The interval of Earth history that we're studying is marked by a short-term global warming event thought to have occurred when something triggered the release of methane from methane clathrate—a kind of 'methane ice' found in ocean sediments," said Philip D. Gingerich, professor of geological sciences at the University of Michigan. Within about 10,000 years of peak warming, mammals such as primates and the groups that include horses and deer appeared together for the first time in North America, apparently having crossed land bridges from other continents.
"They find that if you grow plants in a carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere, the plants love it. They grow fast. It's easy for them." But in the process, the plants incorporate less protein and more defensive compounds than they normally would. Insects that eat these plants grow more slowly, and the same might be true of mammals, Gingerich reasoned.
Furthermore, "the reproductive cycles of mammals that live in seasonal environments are tuned to seasonal cycles," Gingerich said. "If an animal has a one- or two-year period in which to grow to maturity and reproduce, and it's trying to do that on a diet that's difficult to digest and not very nutritious, it's not surprising that it would evolve to be smaller. And it's also not surprising that when times are good again and carbon dioxide levels are lower and plants grow like they normally should, that the animals would go back to what we think of as their normal size."
It's not clear whether the body size trends represent true evolutionary change or whether the larger species were simply replaced by smaller sister species, but Gingerich hopes to answer that question as he continues to work on the project.
He and his coworkers, William C. Clyde of the University of New Hampshire and Scott L. Wing and Guy J. Harrington of the Smithsonian Institution, also hope their work will improve understanding of climate change in general.
"This is a model of an event in the past that involved change and recovery from change," Gingerich said. "During that 80,000-year period, mammals didn't go extinct; they adapted through dwarfing. And eventually, the system worked itself back to the previous state."
But just because Earth and its inhabitants recovered from global warming in the past don't assume we have nothing to worry about now, Gingerich cautions. "In today's Earth, additional warming could set off a methane release that would bump the Earth's temperature up by several degrees—enough to melt polar ice and raise sea level and cause many other problems that would be difficult to survive. That's what makes the temperature rises we're measuring now more worrisome than those that occurred in the past."


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amAze is a first of its kind free navigation and local search service. It is free to download and use and it contains wide coverage of maps including aerial photo in Europe, North America, Australia and parts of Asia and Africa.
With amAze you get all these options and more:
* Visual and voice guidance to any destination
* Search or define any location by its address
* Search and navigate to businesses listed in local search directories (where available)
* Present any required location on the map
* View and use dynamic high quality maps at various scales
* View and navigate over high resolution satellite images
* Calculate the fastest way between two locations
* Save and manage personal favorites list
* Worldwide weather
amAze enables to calculate the route of a journey to any address or point of interest. Bluetooth connection with a GPS receiver will indicate your location along the route with vocal and graphical guidance to your destination in the shortest possible way. amAze is a collaborative effort led by LocatioNet Systems Ltd., together with some leading vendors in the fields of mapping, local search directories and other geographically related content
Application Details:
Version: 5.2
Upload Date: 11 Jun 17
Developer: LocatioNet Systems Ltd.
Distribution Type: Freeware
Downloads: 4525


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Alessandro Lo Monaco
2006 Fondazione La Fabbrica, "no proper time of day", solo show, curated by Riccardo Lisi, Losone, Switzerland, 28 July.
Galleria Arturarte, "no proper time of day" solo show, text by Stefano Elena, Nepi (VT) May 18.
La Sala Naranja, Valencia, collective show, "o eres tu John Waine o lo soy yo" curated by Toni Calderon, 31 March.
"FUORIGIOCO (OFFSIDE)" curated by Massimo Lupoli, 11 solo shows for 11 artists, catalogue essay by Stefano Elena, Pomezia (Rome) 25 March.
2005 Colonna Castle, exposition of the 170 works for "firstname.lastname@example.com", curated by Massimo Lupoli and Gianluca Marziani, Genazzano (Rome), 19 November.
Museo Laboratorio di Arte Contemporanea, international group show of 10 artists for "email@example.com" curated by Gianluca Marziani, Rome, 17 November.
Exposition of 7 pieces at the Principe Felipe Museum for "mitos-idolos-ibridos" group show within OBSERVATORI 2005 curated by Toni Calderon, Valencia, 4 November.
"Homeland Security Advisory Signal", solo show at Spazio Symphonia in collaboration with PACK Gallery, Milan, 21 September.
"TERRART", group show curated by Gavina Ciusa, presented at Vespolate and Novara, 16 September.
Group show "regionevolmente" curated by Gianluca Marziani, Viterbo, 11 March.
2004 "Stendhal 36" Volume I, group show curated by Gianluca Marziani, Milan, 15 December.
"air", group show curated by M. Campitelli, September – October.
Solo show "apparenze" at Palmaria Island, for Genoa 04, July – August.
Group show "Da Ageli a Robazs" at Barbara Mahler Gallery, Lugano, March.
2003 Holds a speach in the Aula Magna of Academy of Fine Arts of Brescia on the subject: Exploration of the Human Space, 16 December.
Solo show "plus ultra" at DESART Contemporary Art, Brescia, November.
2002 Group show 'doping' at Spazio Montenero Gallery, Milan, June.
"Homeland Security Advisory Signal" is a towering sculpture, a sort of monolith of the information-age, tridimensionally reproducing the "Homeland Security Advisory System", a colour-coded alert signal representing the current risk of terrorist attacks on the American soil. The topic is sadly contemporary. However, Lo Monaco's latest work wants to be something more than a provocation that rides the latest wave of events. Reconstructing in the shape of a sculpture the "Homeland Security Advisory System", the artist places a series of questions on some ideological and ethical issues of this beginning of the millennium. As during the times of the aerial bombings there were loud sirens that informed the population of the imminent danger, today new instruments and new references for our times of invisible war are necessary. Instruments exactly like the "Homeland Security Advisory Signal", offer to the population an explicit and direct representation of the current dangers and the threats existing in our environment. The point is that the light-signal of terrorism is only apparently explicit. In realty it is an obscure and conflicting object. The population is not informed on the criteria and the standards used in order to decide if the signal has to remain blue, orange or to become red and suggest the maximum alert level. Beyond that of information, the signal is an instrument of persuasion, a means of rhetoric that must make us reflect on the grammar of communication, all aspects on which Lo Monaco artistically investigates. The language used by the "Homeland Security Advisory Signal" is Manichaean, it invites to emotional reactions rather than to reasoning and conclusively it uses the same codes of fear and anger used by terrorism. The "Homeland Security Advisory Signal" is therefore a perfect example of a post-modern monolith. Mysterious, indecipherable, invested from above of a powerful religious content, able to assemble the masses and to control their behaviours.
Pierluigi Casolari


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Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio Under Fire For Mishandled Sex-Crime Cases
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is under fire. The sheriff is known for his aggressive stance on immigration and his tough treatment of inmates.
Yesterday, two state lawmakers called for his ouster, but Arpaio stood his ground during a press conference.
The lawmakers were reacting to an AP report from Sunday that found his office had botched a series of sex-crime cases. Here's part of that AP report:
"Both cases were among more than 400 sex-crimes reported to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's office during a three-year period ending in 2007 — including dozens of alleged child molestations — that were inadequately investigated and in some instances were not worked at all, according to current and former police officers familiar with the cases.
"In El Mirage alone, where Arpaio's office was providing contract police services, officials discovered at least 32 reported child molestations — with victims as young as 2 years old — where the sheriff's office failed to follow through, even though suspects were known in all but six cases.
"Many of the victims, said a retired El Mirage police official who reviewed the files, were children of illegal immigrants."
The Arizona Republic reports that two state senators called a press conference, yesterday.
"We need to reinforce when someone in the United States reports any kind of sexual abuse to law enforcement, we will investigate it," Ruben Gallego, a Phoenix Democrat said. "This is not a Third World country, and Sheriff Joe should not be acting like he's running one. When there is a problem, law enforcement needs to recognize that there's a problem and deal with it."
The lawmakers also criticized the sheriff for concentrating illegal immigration instead of investigating these crimes.
Earlier in the week, Fox News reports, Arpaio apologized to the alleged victims. But according to the Phoenix New Times, in yesterday's conference, Arpaio took a more defensive stance. He announced he would hire an outside expert to investigate his handling of the cases, but also claimed the politicians calling for his resignation were simply using his name to get into the spotlight.
"Arpaio, whose news conference was designed to highlight the arrest of two undocumented immigrants this week, each of whom had previously been deported at least 13 times, said critics would not deter his office's immigration-enforcement efforts."


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Please go to our new website at:
This site was for 2005.
Official Proponent - NO to the Single Transferable Vote - May 2009 Referendum
NEWS RELEASE Sunday January 11, 2009
NO BC-STV Campaign Society chosen by province as official NO proponent on Single Transferable Vote in May 2009 referendum; group successfully fought STV in 2005 vote as "KNOW STV"
VANCOUVER - The group that successfully opposed the Single Transferable Vote or STV electoral system in the 2005 referendum has been chosen by the province as the official NO proponent for a second vote in the May 12, 2009 referendum.
The decision means that the NO BC-STV Campaign Society - or NO STV in short - will receive $500,000 in provincial funding to run a campaign opposing the Single Transferable Vote, says NO STV president Bill Tieleman.
"We are very pleased with the decision of the Attorney-General's Ministry to give our organization the responsibility for running a vigorous educational campaign to defeat the STV electoral system proposal, which we believe would be disastrous for British Columbia," said Tieleman, a communications consultant and newspaper columnist.
"STV is a confusing and complicated electoral system that would take away accountable local elected representatives and replace them with regional MLAs in ridings with as many as seven members," Tieleman said. "STV also gives unequal weight to votes in different ridings, fails to deliver true proportional representation, especially for rural voters and would make it harder for independent and third parties to elect MLAs."
Tieleman said that "KNOW STV", the group that successfully fought STV in the 2005 referendum, has been renamed the NO BC-STV Campaign Society, a registered non-profit group.
NO STV Secretary-Treasurer David Schreck said the problems with the Single Transferable Vote explain why it is such a rare and obscure electoral system.
"STV is only used as a national government voting system in two small, island countries - Malta and Ireland," said Schreck, a former NDP MLA. "STV has been around since the 1920s in both those countries but no other country has adopted it in over 80 years - why would British Columbians want such a bizarre electoral system with so many problems?"
NO STV's other directors include former Social Credit cabinet minister Bruce Strachan, former BC Citizens Assembly representative Rick Dignard and former Green Party Vancouver school trustee Andrea Reimer, now a Vision Vancouver city councilor, Schreck said. Other active members include former provincial deputy minister Bob Plecas, former NDP cabinet minister Anne Edwards, former Citizens Assembly member Jyoti Gill, Trinity Western University political science professor John Redekop and business owner Paul Gill.
Tieleman said NO STV is completely non-partisan in its approach, noting that in the 2005 provincial referendum it brought together BC Liberal Party, New Democratic Party and Green Party supporters to oppose STV, and its position was endorsed by former Social Credit premier Bill Bennett and former NDP premier Dave Barrett, who both warned of the dangers of STV before the vote.
The Single Transferable Vote was proposed as an electoral system by the BC Citizens Assembly in late 2004. The referendum rules, which remain the same for the 2009 vote, require a 60% majority of all valid votes in the referendum to be in favour, plus the referendum also requires that 60% of all constituencies in BC vote in favour of STV by a simple majority.
In May 2005 STV received 57.7% of the votes cast, failing to reach the required 60%. The BC Liberal government subsequently decided to hold a second referendum.
About Us | Mail Us | Privacy Policy © 2009 No BC-STV Campaign Society.


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A director says he's traveling to Connecticut to prepare for a TV movie related to the Newtown school shooting.
Jonathan Bucari told News 12 Connecticut he planned to visit Ridgefield on Monday.
Ridgefield is 20 miles southwest of Newtown, where a gunman fatally shot 20 first-graders, six educators and himself in December.
WVIT-TV reports Bucari's film company says the film focuses on a 13-year-old boy with mental illness and a fear of his parents after the shooting.
Bucari says he picked Ridgefield because it looks like Newtown and he didn't want to upset Newtown residents so soon after the killings.
Ridgefield schools superintendent Deborah Low says the timing is "poor."
Bucari's Internet Movie Database page lists one completed directorial project, a TV pilot called "The Sacrificial Lamb." He has no listed telephone number and hasn't responded to online messages.


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Morale: Whose Job is in Anyways?
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA
Karl Von Clausewitz, a Prussian military general and military theorist, identified morale as a fundamental military principle. Since Clausewitz published On War morale has developed into a concept seen as critical to organizations, including law enforcement. Unfortunately, morale is difficult to define and in many circles has become somewhat synonymous with motivation. In this article we will look at a very different definition of morale, its potential effects and how the first line supervisor can affect it.
The beatings will continue until morale improves
Often times, people consider morale the same as motivation. But, morale is not about motivation. If it were, negative discipline could improve morale. There are times negative discipline is used to improve performance. Negative consequences can be a powerful tool in shaping behavior. So, if morale were about behavior or performance, negative discipline might be a tool for improving morale.
That is not to say that improved morale does not improve performance; it does. The point is that there is a clear separation between morale and motivation. High morale can be very motivating. High motivation can improve performance. There is a linkage between morale and motivation but they are not he same.
Its not about individuals
Traditional definitions of morale include: the mood of individuals in the workplace; attitude or spirit; how a unit feels about itself and its abilities; and even, a state of individual psychological well-being. As you can see, these definitions go back and forth between the individual and groups. We all have good and bad days. Yet, as individuals who occasionally wake up on the wrong side of the bed we generally dont affect the mood of the entire unit. As our personal attitude ebbs and flows, the morale of our unit is marching to a different drummer.
Morale is about groups and it might be defined as how a group feels about what it does. For instance, this group feeling can be an expression of how high or low the group values an activity. If a group of detectives has their job suddenly changed and they find themselves working in uniform and issuing traffic citations they may have lowered morale because they place a low value on working in uniform and issuing citations.
For the detectives, their normal working conditions do not involve uniformed activities nor issuing citations. The activity is outside their group norm and not highly valued. Morale is about sub-group norms and values and their alignment with larger organizational norms and values. For our hapless detectives, working in uniform and issuing citations is not the norm nor highly valued by the group. Therefore, when the larger organization imposes new norms and values, if the group maintains its previous norms and values there is a misalignment which manifests itself as low morale.
Norms, values and morale
Lets explore how a well delivered pep talk before the big game can improve morale. What coaches tell players is that they can win, they are the best, winning is important, etc. During a pep talk a coach is not motivating players, rather he or she is reinforcing that the norm is victory and that it is highly valued. The job during a pep talk is to align team attitude with the larger organization norms and values. Again, morale is expressed as high or low alignment of norms and values between an organization and its sub-groups.
Of course, if the team doesn't win it reverts to the norm of a losing and is out of alignment with the larger norm. The teams morale is lower after the loss. Conversely, a win could serve to reinforce the team belief in the norm and value of victory. After a win, we would expect high morale.
A norm is the behaviors expected within a group of individuals. It is a belief shared by the group about what is normal and acceptable. In groups we establish norms so that we can anticipate and judge the actions of other group members. In law enforcement we have a strong safety norm. We expect our peers to be tactically sound and safe. We place a high value on this norm. Value is an expression of worth we place on an activity. In other words, groups can have many norms (safety and productivity) and they can place differing values on those norms. For instance, we generally value safety over productivity.
Changes from the top, within and outside
If your organization developed a new rule, policy or procedure that seemed to value productivity over safety morale would be lower. Employees would have the previous value scheme wherein safety was more important than productivity. They would not feel good about the change. Also, like the detectives who were asked to issue citations, if the organization rapidly changes the norm, employee morale falls. It is the imposed change in the value or norm that lowered morale.
Changes and challenges to sub-group norms sometimes come from outside the organization. If a police officer is killed, especially in the line-of-duty, many group norms and values are challenged. Daily, police officers face dangerous situations. The norm is that we, as individuals or members of a team overcome those dangers. The death can represent an inability to overcome danger thereby challenging the norm. Moreover, we value human life, the individual person who died and safety. An on-duty death can shake all three values. This outside challenge to the norm can lead to a lowering of morale.
Sub-group changes from within are somewhat more subtle. A sub-group with high congruence to organizational values can find itself drifting towards new sub-group norms and values and experience lowered morale. As an example, weak small-unit leadership can lead to deviant peer group behavior becoming the norm. Perhaps the leader allows a clique to grow within a watch. A clique will develop its own norms and values. Typically, it will value clique membership more than watch membership. This change in values leads to a change in normal behavior which manifests itself as a reduction in watch morale.
Alignment is more than motivation
When groups feel good about what they do, they experience high morale. Certainly, high morale can lead to improved productivity and quality. If we accept the proposition that morale is an expression of sub-group alignment with larger organizational norms and values an increase in productivity and quality makes sense. As an example, if the sub-group and the larger organization both value traffic citations, traffic citations will be issued.
For law enforcement, sub-group alignment with larger organizational norms and values is even more critical. Police officers work in a high discretionary environment. Basically, we choose when to intervene and what to do. The use of discretion is driven by our norms and values. In other words, our decisions will reflect our alignment with organizational norms and values. Consider the impact of norms and values alignment on high discretionary activities like the application of reasonable suspicion, probable cause, use of force, and vehicle pursuits. Simply put, high morale leads to greater group and individual integrity.
How small-unit leadership impact morale
Because morale is an expression of how well your unit has incorporated organizational norms and values morale is critical part of your leadership. First, you should seek clarity in understanding your organizations norms and values. You should understand how your organizations mission, goals or objectives support the norms and values. After it is clear to you, express it to your unit. Use your roll call time to incorporate a discussion on norms and values.
To lead a small unit you must be a story-teller. When you train or debrief during roll call emphasize how actions reflected your organizations norms and values. Be specific. Every action can be interpreted through your organizations norms and values. Let your people know specifically how their actions reflect positively or negatively on the overall norms and values.
The next time your offer praise consider that you are not praising the action so much as praising how much the action reflects the norms and values. In law enforcement, your unit is performing much of its critical work without the benefit of your on scene leadership. The only way you can influence them at critical moments is by reinforcing their understanding and commitment to your organizations norms and values. It must be in their heart and only you can put it there.
You dont have any control over outside influences. You are going to face the implementation of an unpopular change in the norm. Somebody is going to dictate a new policy or procedure. While you cant control the outside influence you can control your units interpretation of it. Minor changes are fairly simply. Introduce the new policy or procedure, provide your employees with as much background on why the change is necessary, train them and then follow-up with praise or sanction. Larger or dramatic changes are more difficult.
As with smaller changes to the norm, you must first seek clarity. Find out as much as you can why the change is necessary. Make sure you know as much as possible. I am always honest with my people. When I dont like something or think a change is going to be difficult I admit it. As a follower, I have sat through too many gratuitous roll calls where the sergeant or lieutenant is giving us happy talk. I recommend you say something like, I dont like this anymore than you do. But, this is how we are going to do it.
This admission is actually an emphasis of the norm of obedience to orders and the value of you place on it. After you have made this admission, adopt the new norm and place the appropriate value on it. Dont undermine yourself or your organization by rolling your eyes or somehow expressing that you dont believe the new change should be implemented. As with the minor change, provide your employees with background information, training and follow through.
It is very likely that by addressing difficult issues head on you will improve morale. Your leadership is a reflection on your ability to maintain alignment between your unit and the larger organization. By praising actions as an expression of organizational norms and values you will be providing your employees with leadership during whatever situation they face. Morale is your job.


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Miss San Juan pageant set to return
For many years, San Juan County, along with many other local and national organizations, held what was known as beauty pageants.
These pageants showcased many young women in the community in areas such as beauty, talent, stage presence, and body composition, including a runway walk in a swimsuit.
Today we are fortunate enough to have evolved in celebrating these young women through who they are as a person instead of focusing on beauty alone.
San Juan County has changed the title of their pageant to a scholarship pageant, emphasizing the scholarship reward the girls are given in addition to the crown.
Organizers love to see the talents and skills that these young women have, in addition to their inner and outer beauty. The San Juan County Scholarship Pageant is open to all single young women from the ages of 17 to 24. They must be a San Juan County resident, be available to volunteer time at the San Juan County Fair in August, and ride in the Blanding Independence Day and Monticello Pioneer Day parades.
In past years, the winner of the Miss San Juan crown was sent to the Utah State Fair to compete at the state level with other county royalty from around the state. The winner of that pageant was then sent to Miss Utah and so on.
Approximately four years ago, the State Fair discontinued their pageant and therefore San Juan no longer has a pageant to send our queen to. As a result, the commitment of the royalty is completed after the San Juan County Fair.
The Miss San Juan pageant is composed and judged on three main categories. First, interview with the judges. This interview is held earlier during the day of the pageant. The judges meet with each of the contestants individually and ask them a series of questions that will help the judges understand a little more about them.
That evening, the contestants perform an opening dance number as a group that is for fun and is not judged. After the opening number, they each perform an individual talent for the judges and audience.
The final category is Evening Wear, in which the contestants walk the stage and answer an impromptu question pre-composed by either the judges themselves or the pageant directors. There is no swimsuit category as it is unnecessary for the pageant goals.
The group has a lot of fun with the young women that enter the pageant. Unfortunately the past several years have turned up very few numbers, and they have not been able to hold the pageant as scheduled.
Organizers would love to see a record number of talented young women enjoy this experience together in 2012. They know of the talent that San Juan County has bottled up and hope that they can share that talent and beauty with everyone.
The date set for the pageant this year is Friday, June 8. For applications, email the fair board at email@example.com and turn them into JoAnna Bethea at 987 N 100 W in Blanding or the fair office at the San Juan County Fair grounds. Applications are due May 4, 2012.
Just to recap –
All young women from the age of 17 to 21 are eligible
The pageant will be held on Friday, June 8, 2012
The Categories are:1. Interview, 2. Talent, 3. Evening Wear and Impromptu Question (No swimsuit).
Scholarship monies will be awarded after the commitment of parades and volunteer services at the Fair are completed
Here is what some of the past contestants have to say about the Miss San Juan County Scholarship Pageant:
"I really enjoyed the pageant and had a great time helping with activities that proceeded. It was a great opportunity to serve and to learn a lot from leaders who put activities and big events together.
"The parades were fun and I enjoyed interacting with little kids. I was able to use my scholarship money for college expenses and it really helped out.
"I look back on the memories from the pageant as fun and well worth it. I am glad that I tried out for Miss San Juan and hope to see the tradition of having a pageant continue."
– Janessa (Bowring) Proctor
"Being involved in the Miss San Juan pageant is a memory that I can never forget. Some of you might be thinking it's just a pageant like we see on TV, but I'm here to tell you it's not.
"Throughout the course of the pageant preparation I was able to work with girls that I didn't know very well. This was great for me, because I was able to expand my circle of friends. I learned things from each of these ladies that I consider to be great qualities and I still strive to be more like each of them.
"Involving myself with the Miss San Juan pageant only made me a better individual. To all of you out there who are pondering the idea of involving yourself in the pageant, take that leap of faith and go for it! You will not regret it for one second."
– Kara Redd
"Running for Miss San Juan was a lot of fun and even though nerve racking, so worth it! I enjoyed representing San Juan County and being involved with the Fair activities. The prize money sure came in handy that year at college.
"The Miss San Juan Pageant is an event in my life that I will always remember."
– Haven (Webb) Andelin
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REUTERS Wednesday, 05 December 2012 01:54 PM EST
Less than a month before the onset of spending cuts and tax increases that start to take effect in January unless Congress acts, Republican leaders in the House of Representatives called on President Barack Obama to initiate face-to-face talks and blamed him for a lack of action.
"Where are the discussions? Nothing is going on," House Majority Leader Eric Cantor told reporters. "We ask the president to sit down with us, be serious about the specifics." Cantor later said the House would remain in session until "a credible solution to the fiscal cliff" had been announced.
Editor's Note: Prophetic Economist Warns: "It's Curtains for America." See Evidence. Meeting with a business group on Wednesday, Obama renewed his call to include tax hikes on the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans as part of the final resolution and for including an increase in the nation's borrowing limit.
No direct talks were scheduled in a confrontation that has become an endless loop of familiar talking points and well-worn positions. Republican leaders have balked at raising any tax rates, and Democrats have resisted Republican calls for cuts in entitlements like the Medicare and Medicaid healthcare programs.
Obama said there could be a quick deal if Republican leaders dropped their opposition to raising tax rates for those making more than $250,000 a year in exchange for spending cuts and entitlement reforms.
"If we can get the leadership on the Republican side to take that framework, to acknowledge that reality, then the numbers actually aren't that far apart," Obama told executives at a meeting organized by the Business Roundtable, a lobbying group for corporations.
"Another way of putting this is we can probably solve this in about a week. It's not that tough, but we need that conceptual breakthrough," he said.
The two sides have submitted proposals to cut deficits by more than $4 trillion over the next 10 years, but they differ on how to get there. Republicans propose $1 trillion more in spending cuts than Obama, while the president wants $800 billion more in tax increases and $200 billion to boost the sluggish economy.
Republicans have shown cracks in their solidarity on taxes, however, with some saying they would be willing to let tax rates rise on the wealthiest 2 percent in exchange for extending low rates for the other 98 percent of taxpayers.
"I'm hearing whispers. I was over on the House side yesterday, I'm hearing whispers of a light going off in some people's minds" on the tax rates, said Republican Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee.
"All he (Obama) is talking about is rates on the upper income, so if the House were to give that to him, where does the discussion then go? It goes to entitlements which is where it ought to be in the first place," Corker said.
With no resolution in sight and the fiscal cliff looming, the White House budget office has directed the Defense Department to begin planning for automatic budget cuts that will take effect in January without a deal, a Pentagon spokesman said.
About $500 billion in planned Pentagon spending would be slashed over the next decade unless there is a deal.
Economists have predicted that failure to reach an accord could trigger another recession, and investors in the financial markets have watched the back and forth anxiously. They were encouraged by Obama's reference to finishing a deal within a week of reaching agreement on taxes.
"Just the idea that we could have some kind of timeline is enough to eliminate some of the concerns. The fiscal cliff is the headline driver, so anything even slightly positive will move markets," said Todd Schoenberger, managing partner at LandColt Capital in New York.
Senator Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican, said the focus on the end-of-year fiscal cliff was ignoring the long-term threat posed by U.S. debt. He said the path to prosperity would require at least a $9 trillion package of spending cuts and tax increases over 10 years, rather than the $4 trillion being discussed now.
"Personally I know we have to raise revenue. I don't really care which way we do it. Actually, I would rather see the rates go up than do it the other way because it gives us a greater chance to reform the tax code and broaden the base in the future," Coburn said on MSNBC.
Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri sounded an optimistic note and said a final deal would include reform of entitlements like Medicare.
"I do think that if there's not a deal by the end of the year, there will be a deal the first week in January. And the markets need to be aware that this is not going to be, you know, some kind of complete meltdown. We will get a deal," she told MSNBC.
Corker said Obama's push to include an increase in the debt ceiling in any final package would complicate the negotiations.
"The real line in the sand is going to be the debt ceiling," Corker said. Editor's Note: Prophetic Economist Warns: "It's Curtains for America." See Evidence.
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Fifth Annual Event Recognizes Leaders, Encourages Excellence in Pharmacy
DURHAM, N.C., Jul 08, 2014 -- Parata Systems and Pharmacy Times are pleased to announce the finalists for the 2014 Next-Generation Pharmacist™ awards. In its fifth year, the Next-Generation Pharmacist awards recognize pharmacy leaders across a wide range of practice settings, and this year the program attracted more than 500 entries.
Finalists and winners in each category will be recognized at the Aug. 24 Innovation and Inspiration gala event in Boston where healthy aging pioneer, Dr. James F. Fries of Stanford University School of Medicine, will celebrate and encourage the gathering with his keynote address, Pharmacists Helping Patients Live Well.
The celebration of pharmacy innovators continues Aug. 25 when Next-Generation Pharmacist convenes health care thought leaders for an industry insights roundtable, Helping Patients Live Better: Pharmacists in a Value-Driven Health Care System. The invitation-only conversation will focus on how pharmacists are helping to improve patient outcomes and lower health care costs in the age of accountable care and the evolving health care landscape.
"Over five years, the Next-Generation Pharmacist program has grown a community of 150 finalists and hundreds of nominees recognized by their peers as the top pharmacists who are touching the lives of patients and caregivers daily," said Tom Rhoads, CEO, Parata. "A conversation among these innovators in patient care promises to inspire all of us."
Established through a partnership of Parata Systems and Pharmacy Times , Next-Generation Pharmacist is pharmacy's premier recognition program that honors and inspires pharmacists, technicians, student pharmacists and industry advocates who are defining the future of the industry. Next-Generation Pharmacist 2014 nominations were received across 10 award categories, and an independent panel of esteemed judges, chaired by Pharmacy Times Editor-in-Chief, Fred M. Eckel, RPh, MS, ScD (Hon), reviewed all entries.
Three finalists are selected in each category, and these pharmacists, technicians and student pharmacists will be recognized at the 2014 awards gala. These finalists represent a true cross section of the industry, from large chain retailers, independent pharmacies, specialty pharmacies, military bases, health clinics and educational institutions.
The 2014 finalists are:
Civic Leader:
Chris Geronsin, RPh, Beverly Hills Pharmacy and Gateway Apothecary, St. Louis, Mo.
Amy Gutierrez, PharmD, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, Los Angeles, Calif.
Danny R. Johnson, RPh, Marble City Pharmacy, Sylacauga, Ala.
Barry S. Bryant, RPh, CDM, CFTs, Barney's Pharmacy, Augusta, Ga.
Chris Geronsin, RPh, Beverly Hills Pharmacy and Gateway Apothecary, St. Louis, Mo.
Bretton C. Walberg, RPh, Walberg Family Pharmacies, Jamestown, Pa.
Future Pharmacist:
Saswat Kabisatpathy, PharmD, South Carolina College of Pharmacy, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, S.C.
Megan E. Saunders, PharmD, University of Wyoming School of Pharmacy, Laramie, Wyo.
Laura Vollmer, PharmD Candidate 2015, Drake University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Des Moines, Iowa
Lifetime Leadership:
Michel Disco, BSPharm, RPh, MBA, University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy, Albuquerque, N.M.
Albert Garcia, BSPharm, RPh, MHL, Navarro Discount Pharmacy and Navarro Health Services, Medley, FL.
Col. Keith A. Wagner, PharmD, RPh, U.S. Army, Dwight David Eisenhower Army Medical Center, Fort Gordon, Ga.
Military Pharmacist:
Lt. Cmdr. Vince Deguzman, PharmD, MBA, MSC, FACHE, U.S. Navy, Naval Hospital Lemoore Pharmacy, Lemoore, Calif.
Capt. Rohin N. Kasudia, PharmD, BCACP, BSC, U.S. Air Force, 6th Medical Group, MacDill AFB, Fla.
Col. Keith Wagner, PharmD, RPh, U.S. Army, Dwight David Eisenhower Army Medical Center, Fort Gordon, Ga.
Patient Care Provider:
Andrew Dum, RPh, FAPhA, Ahold USA, Inc., Carlisle, Pa.
Jennifer Feig, PharmD, Duane Reade, New York
Julienne Tran, PharmD, Ahold USA, Inc., Quincy, Mass.
Rising Star:
Michael W. Crowe, PharmD, MBA, CSP, FMPA, Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy, Flint, Mich.
Capt. Rohin N. Kasudia, PharmD, BCACP, BSC, U.S. Air Force, 6th Medical Group, MacDill AFB, Fla.
Samuel Stolpe, PharmD, Pharmacy Quality Alliance, Inc., Springfield, Va.
Specialty Pharmacist:
Michael W. Crowe, PharmD, MBA, CSP, FMPA, Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy, Flint, Mich.
Greg Fox, RPh, Altius Heathcare/Fox Infusion, Tucson, Ariz.
Jennifer Powers, PharmD, Walgreens, Lawrenceville, Ga.
Colleen Jenkins, CPhT, St. Luke's Health System, Boise, Idaho
Mary Jane Magno, CPhT, Naval Hospital Lemoore Pharmacy, Lemoore, Calif.
Brenton Michales, CPhT, CVS Pharmacy, Cortland, N.Y.
Technology Innovator:
Stephen F. Eckel, PharmD, MHA, BCPS, FASHP, FAPhA, FCCP, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and UNC Hospitals Department of Pharmacy, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Chris Geronsin, RPh, Beverly Hills Pharmacy and Gateway Apothecary, St. Louis, Mo.
Jannette Soto, PharmD, Farmacia Del Pozo, Manati, Puerto Rico
"The judges had a strong, diverse group of pharmacists to choose from," said Ashley Hennessy Talamo, publisher, Pharmacy Times. "Each year the bar rises, and each year we are continually impressed with the candidates who are nominated. Every finalist represents the best and brightest of each category, and they are all making a difference in their fields."
"The tenacity and passion that each of these pharmacists brings to their roles within the larger health care system is inspiring," said Rhoads. "They represent the epitome of excellence and leadership in the pharmaceutical industry. We are proud to have them represent the Next-Generation Pharmacist program and look forward to honoring each finalist as we recognize the category winners."
Each finalist will be profiled in the July 2014 issue of Pharmacy Times and on http://www.pharmacytimes.com/ . The winner for each category will be announced at the 2014 Next-Generation Pharmacist awards event Aug. 24 at The Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston.
Fries, this year's keynote speaker, is a professor of medicine, immunology and rheumatology at Stanford University School of Medicine and author of more than 300 articles, numerous book chapters and 11 books, including "Take Care of Yourself" and "Living Well."
The Next-Generation Pharmacist industry insights roundtable will be held Monday, Aug. 25, and is entitled Helping Patients Live Better: Pharmacists in a Value-Driven Health Care System. Rhoads and Eckel will host and moderate the discussion. Panelists include Troy Trygstadt, PharmD, PhD, vice president, Pharmacy Programs, Community Care of North Carolina and guest editor, Directions in Pharmacy, a Pharmacy Times publication; Laura Cranston, RPh, executive director, Pharmacy Quality Alliance, Inc.; James F. Fries, MD, Stanford University School of Medicine; and Thomas E. Hubbard, vice president for policy research, Network for Excellence in Health Innovation.
More information can be found at http://www.nextgenerationpharmacist.com and http://www.pharmacytimes.com. Sponsorship opportunities are also available and can be found at http://www.nextgenerationpharmacist.com/sponsors. For regular updates, follow Next-Generation Pharmacist on Twitter and Facebook .
About Parata Systems, LLC
Parata provides technology solutions to support coordinated care, better health outcomes and lower medical costs, empowering pharmacists to grow their businesses. Founded in 2001, the Durham-based company is a brand trusted by more than 12,000 pharmacies and a growing number of global health care professionals serving diverse patient populations. Through Parata, pharmacists can leverage a combination of high-tech tools and workflow to free time to counsel patients, identify and avoid medication interactions, encourage adherence and more. We have filled more than 2.5 billion prescriptions, helping pharmacists avoid an estimated 15 million medication errors. For more information, visit http://www.parata.com or contact email@example.com or 888-PARATA1 (727-2821).
About Pharmacy Times
Pharmacy Times is the industry's leading publication, providing practical clinical information pharmacists can use in their everyday practices when counseling patients and interacting with physicians. Each issue contains articles and features covering medication errors, drug interactions, patient education, pharmacy technology, disease state management, patient counseling, product news, pharmacy law and specialty pharmacy. The Pharmacy Times Office of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. Learn more at http:// www.PharmacyTimes.com , write to firstname.lastname@example.com , call 609-716-7777 or visit us on Facebook and on Twitter . Pharmacy Times is published by Michael J. Hennessy Associates, Inc., a leading provider of health care publishing, research, information and education.
Next-Generation PharmacistTM is a trademark of Parata Systems, LLC.
SOURCE: Parata Systems
Media contacts :
Bea Riemschneider
Vice President/Group Editorial Director, Pharmacy Times
609-716-7777, ext. 214
Parata contact: Shawn Ramsey
Crossroads PR and Marketing


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With its opening, life for Kenai Peninsula residents living with cancer has changed for the better.
The Peninsula Radiation Oncology Center officially opened its doors last week to the patients it will serve and the community as a whole. Inside, they found one of the most advanced radiation centers in the state.
"This is a dream come true for me as a physician," said John Halligan, clinical director of the center. "To be able to offer state of the art clinical equipment with the most advanced technology on par with any major metropolitan community is impressive."
Speaking from the first-hand experience of someone living with cancer, Kenai Mayor Pat Porter said the new center brought "comfort healing and hope" to the community. Now able to receive treatment in town, she and others will not have to spend a week in Anchorage and no longer have to deal with flights, hotel expenses and leave from work — all the logistics of life with cancer.
"We will never have to leave our homes for radiation treatment again," she said.
Life with cancer in the central Kenai Peninsula before the center's construction involved leaving the region for treatments, for up to six weeks at a time, and dealing with all the financial burdens that went with travel treatment.
The July 10 opening ceremony opened the 7,000-square-foot cancer center at one corner of the Central Peninsula Hospital campus in Soldotna. About 200 community members attended.
Alyson Stogsdill, president of the board for Central Peninsula Hospital, expressed her gratitude for the collaboration between many to build the center.
The center, built by the Kenai Peninsula Borough in partnership with the Central Peninsula Hospital, "is just the beginning of an even greater expansion of health services and facilities," according to a press release from the center.
"Expanding to include radiation oncology strengthens the financial position of the hospital, in that all of the ancillary services, tests and physician visits will remain local to the community and region. This is estimated as much as $400,000 per patient case," according to the release.
"The $10 million cancer center is equipped with an Elekta Synergy dual energy 160 multi-leaf collimator linear accelerator. Image guided radiation therapy allows for tumor tracking on a daily basis ensuring the most accurate localization of radiation delivery; maximizing clinical outcomes and minimizing side effects for patients," said the release.
Entering the center is like walking into an upscale hotel lobby nicely outfitted with leather furniture and Alaska art depicting life on the peninsula covering the walls. Inside its radiation therapy vault there is a spa-like quality to the room that is home to a linear accelerator that is at the center of the treatment.
With a three-member physician team — Halligan, Jamie Blom, and Claire Bertucio — the center expects to treat 200 patients each year.
Physicians will be available to consult with patients undergoing treatment on a daily basis. "This is not satellite service with limited office hours," said Dr. Blom. "This is a state of the art facility on par with any major metropolitan city."
Greg Skinner is a reporter at the Peninsula Clarion.